Notes:

They came at night by the thousands, some waiting for two days in the rain and cold for a chance to have their ears assaulted and nerves numbed and to say they saw Led Zeppelin.

It was a night of pot, pills and popcorn with the popcorn coming in a close third to the other two.

But overall, the Led Zeppelin concert at the Kingdome came off without too much trouble. There were several arrests, lots of dope and booze smuggled in – either under coats or inside bodies – and some very sick kids from drinking too much.

“It's not a bad bunch considering the number of people here”, one Seattle police officer said of the 62,000 people, “and considering the reputation of the group.”

Led Zeppelin has earned a reputation for attracting surly crowds which generally fight and riot. But the most damage was to the ears and there is a possibility 62,000 people will spend today saying, “Huh?”

What attracted these people, generally hard-core rock fans, was the experience.

It was appreciated by some when the lead singer, Robert Plant, told the crowd he was deaf in one ear. It was a miracle the whole band wasn’t stone deaf. Later, Plant said his hearing came back during one number.

The concert started shortly after 8 p.m. amid fireworks and people holding up lighted matches, the moment everybody had been waiting for.

Throughout the long Sunday, the huge crowd remained orderly as it waited to get through the gates and have the experience.

At 4:30 yesterday afternoon, the 20,000 or so Zeppelin fans waiting at the Kingdome started to chant, “We want in, we want in.” Suddenly a movement rippled through the crowd like a wave pushing the front-line troops into the fence.

Plant promised that the 1977 tour would be “blood, thunder and the hammer of the gods”. A squad of paramedics was geared up for the blood and everybody else was geared up for the thunder and hammer part. (Post-Intellengencer - July 1977)